There is little that hurts more than knowing that true love can slip your grasp. Sometimes even a quick glance from someone at the grocery store can send your mind racing with the possibilities of spending a life together. You fall in love, start a family, grow old..it all unfolds so quickly in your mind.

What, then, if when you do find someone special (presumably after more than just the glance) fate gets in the way?

Tia, a 22 year old bartender from Wisconsin, posted a message on The Buried Life Facebook page saying that before she dies (we ask everyone, “What do you want to do before you die?“) she wanted to meet a boy she knew in elementary school who she hadn’t seen in nine years. They had stayed in touch over Snapchat and Facebook, but had had their every attempt at reconnecting thwarted by turns of fate. First, Justin lost his mother. Then Tia’s mom got sick as well. Then Justin got deployed…to Italy.

Determined to figure out how we could get them together, we set to work connecting the dots with the help of Contiki, the largest travel company in the world for people aged eighteen to thirty-five. They offered to fly Tia out to Italy and surprise her on one of their epic travel tours with a bouquet of roses.. from Justin! We teed it all up (precariously) and crossed our fingers that something would happen when they finally met again. And then…at Romeo and Juliet’s wall in Verona…they did 🙂

Let us know below what you want to do before you die.

And tell the people you love that you love them. @bennemtin (Click to Tweet!)

Ben Nemtin is an actor, producer, and writer. He is a member of The Buried Life and the #1 New York Times Best Seller What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? He can be found at theburiedlife.com, Facebook, and Twitter.